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his is the quick start version of Basic

T Roleplaying; Chaosium, Incs D100 roleplay-

ing game system. The Basic Roleplaying sys- tem (BRP for short) has been utilized in some of the most influential roleplaying games published in the past thirty years (among them Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest, Stormbringer, and others). This streamlined set of BRP rules is usable in a variety of settings. Presented here is basic character cre- ation; the system; combat; equipment; and a sam- ple combat. Though the Basic Roleplaying core rulebook is recommended for the variety of options and details it provides, these fast play rules contain enough information for enterprising players and gamemasters to run game sessions and even cam- paigns without further reference. Only imagina- tion and some homework are required to turn these quick start rules into a BRP campaign. Despite the size of the core rulebook, the beauty of the BRP system is its brevity. The fun- damentals of the game rules can be described in a few pages, which is the mission of this quick start version.

What is a Roleplaying Game?

The book you hold in your hands is a roleplaying game, a rules framework that allows players to enact stories of adventure, acting out the parts of the main characters. The game rules provide guidelines for what can or cant be done, and dice rolls determine whether the characters succeed or fail at what they attempt to do. In roleplaying games, one player takes on the role of the gamemaster (GM), while the other players assume the roles of player characters (PCs). The GM also acts out the roles of characters not guid- ed by players: these are called non-player charac- ters (NPCs). Roleplaying is a social game, like improvising a story for a play, television show, or movie. Player characters are the primary roles: PCs are the protagonists the stories revolve around. A PC might be a swaggering gunfighter, depressed pri- 5

Players create PCs by defining them with rules that

help measure capabilities in quantifiable terms. This information is written down on the character sheet. The Basic Roleplaying Information on a character sheet includes things like Core Rulebook strength, intelligence, speed, education, skills, and other abstract elements that make up a person though For 30 years Chaosium, Inc. has published games personality is evoked by how the PC is played by the using the Basic Roleplaying system. These cover a player. For example, though there is no numerical value for irri- range of settings, from period horror (Call of table, the player may speak in such a manner and give that per- Cthulhu, Cthulhu Dark Ages), heroic fantasy (Rune- sonality to the PC. The PCs character sheet is a cross Quest and ElfQuest), super heroics (Superworld), sci- between a rsum and a report card: it defines what he ence fiction (Ringworld), sword-and-sorcery (Storm - bringer, Hawkmoon, and Elric!), and others (including or she can do, and how good he or she is at it. Worlds of Wonder, which contained fantasy, super Roleplaying is what brings the character to life. heroics, and science fiction in one box). All of these There is a major difference between what the play- games used the BRP system, though variants called er knows and what the PC knows. At the gaming table for additional or different rules required for the set- ting. players are privy to behind the scenes information Because of its flexible and near-transparent that PCs dont have, and they must be careful not to design, the BRP system was highly influential in take advantage of this knowledge. Dice rolls are used to games to come, introducing new concepts and determine if a PC will know something, even when the mechanics as well as new paradigms for game play player may already know the answer. Similarly, there is and character development. It was even more suc- no reason a PCs expertise is limited to things the play- cessful among players themselves, and many GMs used a variety of BRP games to cobble together er knowsa PC can be an expert in fields the player has dream rules sets, utilizing rules from one BRP no idea about. game to augment play in another. The purpose of roleplaying is to have a good time. In summer 2008, Chaosium, Inc. published Basic Its fun to deal with dangers that are not truly danger- Roleplaying, a weighty 400-page core rulebook com- ous, threats that vanish when everyone rises from the piling all of the variant rules and systems, unifying the system into a comprehensive set of core rules, table, and monsters that evaporate when the lights go including a wide variety of optional rules to allow on. If play goes well, the players feel that theyve been each GM to customize his or her individual game as to an exciting new world for a while, find strength in desired. coping with it, and may even know victory.

vate eye, mighty sorcerer, brightlyclad super hero, or a Length of Play

humble spacefarer trying to make ends meet. The GM How long does role playing take? There are three waysdevises and presents the situations that the players to measure time spent role playing. First is the session.adventure through, describing the world where they This is the actual amount required to play a game.roam and how that world is affected by the PCs actions. Game sessions usually last from three to five hours,While each player plays only one PC, the GM presents though some are shorter and sometimes they go forthe entire game settingrepresenting all of its people, much longer. The second measure of game time is theplaces, monsters, and even gods. scenario. This is a chapter of the story. There is usually a The GM has a story to present, an interactive sce- beginning, middle, and an ending to a scenario, con-nario in which the PCs are challenged to interact with sisting of some roleplaying, some action, and a dramat-NPCs that the GM personifies. Play is mostly conversa- ic resolution. The longest measure of game time is thetion: the GM outlines some situation or encounter and campaign, a series of scenarios linked together to form anthe players say what the PCs say or attempt to do. Rules epic or engrossing longer story. For an easy way to wrapprovide impartial guidelines for successes and failures ofactions attempted. Using the game rules, players your head around it, liken it to reading a novel. The ses-announce what the PCs will do, and roll dice to deter- sion is the amount of time to read a chapter. The sce-mine what happens. If needed, the GM interprets how nario is one or more chapters. The campaign is thethe PCs actions affect the game world (NPCs, etc.). whole novel itself. Oneshot games are scenarios thatThe PCs will use skills and abilities to face these chal- do not have a place in a campaigntheyre like shortlenges, oppose other PCs and NPCs, and to explore the stories. They may take longer than one sitting to read,setting the GM has created. but they do not continue beyond the end of the story.6

Materials Required to Play Responsibilities of the Gamemaster

P S layers will need little other than this rulebook, a ometimes, the GM has the most fun in the game, pencil, paper, and a set of gaming dice. Dice are but this comes with the largest share of responsi- available at most gaming and hobby stores, and bility. Using a published scenario or one he or she come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. See below has created, the GM narrates the game universe and for more information on dice and dicerolling methods. acts as the PCs opposition. That opposition must be Some gaming groups use miniatures as a representation smart and mean, or the players will be bored, and it of the characters: if so, players might each bring a must be presented fairly, or they will be outraged and miniature resembling his or her PC. The primary ingre- the game will not be fun (which is the primary point of dient required is creative energy, though snacks are also roleplaying). Whereas each player must share the spot- appreciated. light with all of the other players, the GM is constant- ly interacting with all of the players. The GM will need a little bit more than a player, but not much more. A copy of this rulebook and more The GM should read and be familiar with these blank paper for notes is the minimum, while a GM may rules. Know the general procedures choose to bring additional copies of the character sheet for combat and powers, but its not provided on page 31 (or found online at www.chao- necessary to memorize every- sium.com). The GM will need at least one full set of thingmost questions can be dice. If the group likes to use miniatures for role playing, answered as they arise. then the GM should bring a small assortment of minia- As for scenarios, there are a tures to represent the various NPCs and creatures the vast range of scenarios for many PCs will encounter. different settings and games. Chaosium Inc. has published many adventures for Call of Cthulhu and other game lines, most Dice and Reading Dice Results of which utilize the Basic Roleplaying system. Other games Basic Roleplaying uses a variety of polyhedral dice to are plentifuland converting a scenario from one of obtain random results. These are available in a wide them to Basic Roleplaying is fairly easy. Ideas for scenarios range of sizes, colors, and qualities from games and are also easy to come byalmost any film or book with hobby stores, or other sources. To play, a group will need some aspect of danger and excitement can at least one set of these dice, though it is easier and be turned into a roleplaying scenario. more convenient if each player has a set. A set of gam- Ultimately, all thats required is ing dice includes the following dice: D4, D6, D8, D10, to come up with a story, write up D12, and D20. some foes or encounters. Invite The most important dice roll in Basic Roleplaying is some friends over and have them the percentile dice roll, which is a roll of two ten- create characters. Summarize the sided dice (or one ten-sided die rolled twice). In a per- rules for them, and its time to play. centile dice roll, the first value is the tens while the second is the ones. For example, a roll of 3 and 7 on percentile dice means a result of 37. Generally, with percentile dice, the lower you roll, the better. Other dice rolls involve multiples, combi- nations, or dice results that are modified. For example: 3D6 means roll three six-sided dice; D10+D4 means roll a D10 and a D4 and add the results together; D8+1 means roll a D8 and add 1 to the result. D6-2 means roll a D6 and subtract 2 from the result. Die rolls are never modified to below 0, however, so the example of D6-2 with a roll of 1 or 2 will just equal 0. 7

ach player will need to create a player character. The player character (PC) is a representation of him- or her-

E self in the game world and does not have to be anything like the actual player. Players can be their exact oppo- sites as their PCs: strange races, exotic and dangerous professions, even the opposite gender are some of the pos-sibilities. The gamemaster (GM) may ask that the players create PCs suitable for a particular setting, so if the gameis set in the Old West, no spaceship captains, medievalwizards, or cavemen. (On the other hand, quite abit of fun can be had trying to get these wholly-inappropriate characters into this setting, andseeing how they react to it.) This section covers the process of creating aplayer character for Basic Roleplaying. The proce-dure for creating a non-playercharacter (NPC) is less involved,and is covered later.

The Character Sheet

Each player will need a copy ofthe character sheet presented onpage 31 of this book. Its possibleto just write everything onto ablank sheet of paper, but thecharacter sheet makes things alot easier. The character sheet pre-sented here is a simplified version of thenormal Basic Roleplaying charactersheet, which has additional informationnot covered in this quick start. Thecharacter sheet includes the fol-lowing sections: Identity: This is for the charac- ters basic information, aspects that dont have any game effects but help detail who the character is. Characteristics & Rolls: These values describe qualities of the character such as how strong she is, how smart he is, how fast she is, how attractive he is, etc. Rolls are based off characteristics, and are percentage values rolled to see if the character succeeds or fails at a task.8

Hit Points: A value measuring how much damage a play- he or she is, how tough, how charismatic, etc. They are er character can take before he or she dies. Bigger and/or not learned abilities, but can sometimes be increased healthier characters have more hit points (HP) while through training and successful use. Normal humans smaller and/or frailer characters have fewer. have characteristics ranging from 3 (abysmally low) to Skills: These are the abilities the character has some 18 (a pinnacle of human potential), averaging at 10 or innate knowledge, training, or education in. Each is 11. The higher a characteristic, the more potent the expressed as a percentage chance, rolled to see if the character is in that ability. The characteristics are: character succeeds. Strength, Constitution, Size, Intelligence, Power, Dexterity, and Weapons: These are weapons the character uses, along Appearance, and are described below. with descriptions of how they do damage to other charac- ters. Strength (STR): Strength is essentially how strong the Armor: Any armor worn by the character, which may character is. It doesnt necessarily mean raw muscle mass, reduce any damage he or she takes from an attack. but how effectively the character can exert that muscle to accomplish a strenuous physical feat. Roll 3D6 to deter- mine STR. Identity Constitution (CON): Constitution is a measure of how This is the area where the characters basic information tough and resilient the character is. It helps aid in resist- is fleshed out, the aspects of existence with little (if ing diseases, but the most significant aspect of CON is any) game effect. These are roleplaying aspectsthe determining how much injury a character can suffer things that define the character as a character, not sim- before dying. Roll 3D6 to determine CON. ply as a list of characteristics and skills. The player can fill this information out now in full, or partially and skip Size (SIZ): Size is a measure of how large the character is. to characteristic and skill generation, or can hold off It doesnt necessarily translate to raw heightits instead until he or she knows more about the characters game a general guide to physical mass. A high SIZ character could be very tall (and thin), or short and thick, or aver- system aspects. Identity includes the following: age height and overweight. Roll 2D6+6 to determine SIZ. Name: A suitable name for the character Intelligence (INT): Intelligence is how smart the charac- Race: Human. Nonhuman characters are not covered in ter is, not necessarily as a measure of how much informa- this quick start edition. tion the character has memorized, but reasoning power, Gender: Write female or male herethere are no intellectual acuity, problem-solving ability, and intuition. game system differences between genders. Roll 2D6+6 to determine INT. Handedness: Is the character right- or left-handed? Pick Power (POW): Power is an almost intangible measure of onethere are no game system differences. will-force, personal dynamism, and spiritual energy. A Height and Weight: Choose these using the Size charac- high POW character is a beacon of energy, lucky, and teristic (determined below) as a guideline. These dont forceful in presence. Roll 3D6 to determine POW. have to be specific numbers, and could be as vague as tall, average, or heavy. Dexterity (DEX): Dexterity is a measure of hand-to-hand coordination, physical speed, and overall agility. DEX Description: This is a brief physical description of the determines how quickly a character may act in combat, character, and might include coloration (hair, eyes, skin), and provides the basis for the Dodge skill. Roll 3D6 to attitude, mode of dress, etc. determine DEX. Age: Pick an age appropriate to the character, keeping characteristics in mind. The effects of aging are not covered Appearance (APP): This is a measure of several aspects, in this quick start edition. from charisma, grace, and beauty/handsomeness, and how appealing the character is to others. A high APP charac- Distinctive Features: Using the Appearance characteris- ter is noticeable in a crowd because of an intangible com- tic as a guide, does the character have any notable fea- bination of charm and presentation. Roll 3D6 to deter- tures? This can be an impressive scar, a broken nose, an mine APP. exotic hairstyle, or an unusual mode of dress. Make up a few. The higher or lower the APP, the more distinctive If the characteristics arent exactly as desired, the play- features. er can move up to 3 points from one characteristic to Profession: The characters career or the occupation he another. For example, if a strong character is preferable to a or she is most identified with. The list of professions is smart one, move 3 points from INT over to STR. There is no provided on page 14. requirement to move the whole 3 points, or any points at all. Characteristics The player should examine the set of characteristics Characters in Basic Roleplaying are rated in a variety of and think about what the numbers represent. Is she ways. The most basic are their characteristics. These are strong and clumsy? Small and fast? Average? Is he more the innate abilities a character has, such as how smart of a thinker than a physical sort? If the numbers just 9

dont match the type of character desired, the player Damage Bonus: Bigger,should ask the GM if its all right to start over and roll stronger characters doup a new set of characteristics. more damage when hit- Damage Bonus ting their foes with hand Another optional characteristic, Education, is presented in the weapons. Add STR+SIZ STR+SIZ Damage ModifierBasic Roleplaying core rulebook but is not covered in this quick and consult this chart:start edition. 2 to 12 1D6 The damage modifier is 13 to 16 1D4 applied to the damageCharacteristic Rolls rolled for any hand-to- 17 to 24 NoneMany capabilities of a character are measured in skills hand attack the character 25 to 32 +1D4(described on page 9). There are times, however, when makes.a simple roll is needed to determine whether a charac- 33 to 40 +1D6 Move (MOV): Move 41 to 56 +2D6ter is successful or not at an activity based on a charac- (MOV) is a game value,teristic. If there is an opposing value, use the resistance determining how far thetable (described on page 20). If there is no obviously character can move in aopposing value, use a characteristic roll. combat round. All humans have a MOV of 10. MOV is a Each characteristic roll is a characteristic multiplied flexible value, but generally each point of MOV equalsby 5, expressed as a percentage chance. For example, a one meter of movement.STR 10 would give an Effort roll of 50, or 50%. Hit Points: Hit points (HP) are equal to the characters CON+SIZ, divided by two (rounding fractions up). These Effort Roll: The Effort roll is used for forceful manipula- are subtracted as the character takes damage from injury tion of an object of environmental aspect. It is based on or other sources. When a character reaches 1 or 2 hit STR x 5. Trying to complete a hundred pushups would require points, he or she is unconscious. At 0 hit points, the an Effort roll. character is dead. Stamina Roll: The Stamina roll is used for prolonged Power Points: Power points are equal to POW, and are physical exertion and tests of fortitude. It is based on spent to use magic or other powers. When a character CON x 5. Avoiding the common cold, or trying to drink an reaches 0 power points, he or she is unconscious. All entire bottle of salad dressing would require a Stamina roll. power points regenerate after one full day that includes a Idea Roll: The Idea roll is used for a flash of inspiration, nights rest. or to determine if the character knows something that This is an abbreviated list of derived characteristics, as sev- the player knows, or having the character figure out eral others used in Basic Roleplaying are not covered in this something the player hasnt. The gamemaster may some- times use this roll to help prod the players when they quick start edition. Also, Powers are not discussed in this dont know what to do next (but when the PCs would). It quick start edition. is based on INT x 5.

Luck Roll: The Luck roll is to determine if fate gives the

Skills character a break, or manages to squeak by at a situation This is a list of the skills a character might be able to where random chance may be a deciding factor (roulette, use. Skills are rated as a skill chance, or the percentage for example). It is based on POW x 5. If trying to deter- chance a character attempting the skill has of succeed- mine the winner of an eenie meenie count, use a Luck roll. ing, a value somewhere between 0% (no chance what- soever) to 100+%, meaning it will always succeed. The Agility Roll: The Agility roll is useful for determining issues where natural hand/eye coordination are more base chance of using that skill is in parenthesis after the important than any training, such as running on a slip- skill name, so if the skill number is higher than 01%, pery surface or catching a dropped item before it hits the you always have at least a 1 in 100 chance of using the ground. It is based on DEX x 5. Use the Agility roll if the skill successfully. Any skill points a character has in a character is catching something thrown at him or her with a skill are added to the base skill. Skill base chances may think fast! warning. be adjusted by the gamemaster based on the setting. Charisma Roll: Raw charisma, being able to rely on good Many skills have specialties, as noted in parenthesis looks and personal charm to gain attention or sway oth- with each skill name. Specialties are specific sub-skills ers. It is based on APP x 5. A character trying to catch the that define the skill. For example, a character may have attention of a bouncer to be let into an exclusive club would Knowledge (Law) 70%. This does not mean he knows all use a Charisma roll. Knowledge skills at 70%, but instead knows Law at that per- centage. All other skill specialties, unless skill points areDerived Characteristics spent on them, will be at the base percentage chance.These characteristics are derived from other aspects of A character with below 05% in a skill is a haplessthe characteristics or race. novice. Someone with 06-25% is a neophyte. Skill of 26-10

A Quick Guide to Creating A Character

IDENTITY & CHARACTERISTICS CHARACTERISTIC v Write your characters name at the top of the page. ROLLS v Write your own name on the character sheet. v STR x 5 for Effort. v Choose your characters gender and write it in the correct space; neither has an advantage system-wise. v CON x 5 for Stamina. v Roll 3D6 for the characteristics Strength (STR), Constitution (CON), Power (POW), Dexterity (DEX), and v INT x 5 for Idea. Appearance (APP). Enter the results in the appropriate places on your character sheet. v POW x 5 for Luck. v Roll 2D6+6 for the Intelligence (INT) and Size (SIZ) characteristics. v DEX x 5 for Agility. v Redistribute up to 3 points between your characteristics. No characteristic can begin at more than 21 points. v APP x 5 for Charisma.

ARMOR & EQUIPMENT

In immediate possession: v A set of clothing appropriate to the charac- ters profession and the setting. v An amount of pocket money; enough to last a little while without hardship. The higher the Status roll, the more money. v A personal heirloom, keepsake, or some trinket of little relative value. v Any trade tools or transportable equipment suitable to the characters profession, if appropriate. v Any weapon the character has a skill of 50+% in, if appropriate. v Other items as appropriate based on the Status skill, setting, and subject to the GMs approval. Wealth and detailed gear listings are not addressed in this quick start edition.

Command (05%): Leading a small-to-large group of fol-

lowers in combat or through some other difficult activity requiring discipline and coordinated actions.

Craft (various) (05%): The creation of some physical item

for use, like woodworking, blacksmithing, sewing, cooking. Craft is generally more practical than Art, though less like- ly to achieve fame and recognition. Each type of Craft skill is a specialty.

Demolition (01%): Setting and detonating explosives to

achieve maximum effect. Anyone can pull a pin on a grenadeuse Demolition to jury-rig a bomb from house- hold chemicals, or set explosives in the right places to bring a building down.

Disguise (01%): Concealing identity or appearance, or

using some combination of makeup and costume to appear as someone or something else.

Dodge (DEX x 2): Avoiding injury from a physical attack.

Demonstrating the use of multiple skills and characteristics, Marie Drive (by vehicle) (20% or 01%): Piloting a ground vehi- relies on her DEX while dispatching a few goons on the escalator. cle. For characters from the modern world, Drive is 20%, for others it begins at 01%. Each type of vehicle 50% represents an amateur level of proficiency. Skill at (Automobile, Cart, Chariot, Truck, etc.) is a specialty. the 51-75% range indicates a competent professional. Vehicles are not covered in this quick start edition. Experts have skills in the 76-90% range, and 91+% indi- Energy Weapon (various) (by weapon): Pointing and cates mastery of a skill. This does not mean that some- shooting an energy weapon at a target. Each type of Energy one with 25% in a skill will on average fail three quarters Weapon skill is a specialty. Specialties are Energy Pistol of the time they attempt the skillit means that under and Energy Rifle. stressful situations (like adventuring, combat, etc.) the Etiquette (05%): Knowing what to say and how to behave character will succeed only a quarter of the time. in a particular situation, as well as understanding the vari- Appraise (15%): Judging the value of an item, or deter- ous niceties of a particular social class. mining some aspects of its capabilities that are not imme- Fast Talk (05%): Talking ones way out of a rough situa- diately apparent. tion, or bluffing when there is no time for a reasoned argu- Art (by art type) (05%): Painting, sculpture, photography, ment or debate. drawing, or another form of visual art. Each type of art is a Fine Manipulation (05%): Finger dexterity, particularly specialty, so a character would have Art (Photography) as important for disassembling things in a hurry or complet- one skill, and Art (Painting) as another. Suggested special- ing complex tasks requiring hand coordination. ties for Art include Architecture, Calligraphy, Film, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, etc. Firearm (various) (by weapon specialty): Pointing and shooting a firearm at a target. Each type of Firearm skill is Artillery (various) (by weapon): Using heavy mounted a specialty. Specialties are Machine Gun, Pistol, Revolver, weaponry, such as catapults, cannons, missile launchers, Rifle, Shotgun, and Submachine Gun. etc. Each type of artillery weapon is a specialty. Suggested specialties for Artillery include Cannon, Rocket Launcher, First Aid (30% or INT x 1): Treating minor injuries. For Siege Engine, etc. Artillery weapons are not covered in this characters from the modern or future eras, the base skill is quick start edition. 30%; for historical periods its INT x 1. Each successful use restores 1D3 hit points to a wounded character. A special Bargain (05%): Negotiating financial matters successfully. success restores 1D3+3 hit points. A successful use of this skill lowers the price of an item from one value category to the one below (at the Fly ( DEX or DEX x 4): If the character has a technolog- gamemasters discretion). ical means of flying (a jet pack, for example), the chance is DEX. If its a natural ability (like wings) the chance is Brawl (25%): Hitting someone in hand-to-hand combat, DEX x 4. Basic flight doesnt require a rollthe skill is for whether with a punch, head butt, kick, or even bite. A use with maneuvers, in combat, and performing complex successful Brawl attack does 1D3 points of damage to an flying stunts. Aerial combat is not covered in this quick start opponent. edition.

Climb (40%): Scaling a wall, rope, or other difficult sur- Gaming (INT + POW): Knowledge of the rules and odds face. of various games of chance (cards, dice, etc.) and winning. 13

Insight (05%): Evaluating another characters concealed Perform (various) (05%): Entertaining or performing inthoughts and/or motives based on subliminal clues. some fashion, whether through music, acting, acrobatics, comedy, etc. Each type of Perform is a specialty.Jump (25%): Leaping over an obstacle or across a span.Success for most humans usually equals a jump of roughly Persuade (15%): Using logic, reason, and emotionalthree meters horizontally or one meter vertically. appeal to convince someone to agree to a specific course of action or avenue of thought. Unlike Fast Talk,Knowledge (various) (05% or 01%): Familiarity with a Persuade takes time and supporting arguments.particular branch of study. For characters from the modernor future eras, the base skill is 05%; for historical periods Pilot (various) (01%): Operating an air, sea, or spaceits 01%. Each type of Knowledge skill is a specialty. vehicle. Each vehicle type is a specialty. Vehicles are notSpecialties are numerous, and include Anthropology, covered in this quick start edition.Archaeology, Folklore, Group (an organization), History,Linguistics, Literature, Mythology, Occult, Politics, Region Projection (DEX x 2): If powers (magic, super, psychic,(an area), Streetwise, etc. etc.) are used in a game, this is the ability to direct a pow- ered attack at a target. Powers are not covered in this quickLanguage (various) (Own INT x 5, Other 00%): Speaking start edition.and understanding a language. Language (Own) is yourcharacters own native language, and begins at INT x 5.Generally, player characters do not need to make Languagerolls to converse in their native languages with otherspeakers of the same language. Language (Other) is anoth-er language, and begins at 00%. Each other Language skillis a specialty.

Listen (25%): Hearing a noise or faint sound, such as

someone sneaking by or a monster approaching.

Literacy (various) (identical to starting Language): Mainly

appreopriate for settigs where education is not common-place. Understanding and comprehension of what charac-ter is reading.

Martial Arts (01%): Using secret and disciplined fighting

techniques to deliver more powerful blows against anopponent. The GM may restrict who can use Martial Arts,and starting skill levels. Unlike other skills, Martial Arts isnot rolled separately: if a character makes a Brawl attackand also rolls under Martial Arts skill, the damage die (notthe damage bonus) is doubled.

Medicine (05% or 00%): Treatment of serious medical

conditions through pharmaceutical, therapeutic, or surgicalmeans. For characters from the modern or future eras, thebase skill is 05%; for historical periods its 00%. This is atime-consuming process and does not restore hit pointsimmediately. Demonstrating Agility: Though Juggling is a specialty of the Perform skill, the gamemaster may allow players to improviseMelee Weapon (various) (by weapon specialty): Using a and use the Agility roll instead. It wont look as good as someone with the actual skill, but it is enough to keep the balls in the air.hand-to-hand (melee) weapon in combat, including strik-14

Psychotherapy (01% or 00%): Using psychiatry and psy- the GM, as appropriate. Each type of Technical skill is a chological analysis to determine a patients psychological specialty. Specialties include Computer Programming, issues and address them through treatment. A lengthy Computer Use, Electronics, Robotics, Sensor Systems, process handled through multiple sessions and in-depth Siege Engines, Traps, etc. personal evaluation and counseling. Throw (25%): Aiming and tossing something (a football, Repair (various) (15%): Fixing something broken, rock, Frisbee, hat, etc.) through the air towards a target. jammed, disassembled, or otherwise inoperable. Each type Unlike the Missile Weapon skill, this is a catch-all for any- of Repair is a specialty. Specialties include Electrical, thing that isnt specifically a weapon, and a successful roll Electronic, Mechanical, Structural, Quantum, etc. doesnt necessarily damage an opponent. Research (25%): Using a source of references (library, Track (10%): Following footprints, spoor, etc. through ter- newspaper archive, computer network, the internet, wiz- rain. ards grimoire, etc.) to discover desired pieces of informa- tion. If desired, the GM should modify the skill list to make it more appropriate to a particular setting. The GM should Ride (various) (05%): Riding an animal and controlling it in difficult situations. Each type of animal (horse, dragon, feel free to eliminate skills, rename them, or introduce giant owl, etc.) is a specialty. new skills. For example, a medieval fantasy setting probably wont utilize Energy Weapon, Heavy Machine, Science (various) (01%): Expertise in a field of study from Psychotherapy, or Technical Skill. Beginning skill levels the hard sciences. Each type of Science skill is a special- can also be adjusted for a specific campaign or setting. ty. Specialties include Astronomy, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Genetics, Geology, Mathematics, Meteorology, Physics, Zoology, etc. Professions and Professional Skills Sense (10%): A combination of scent, taste, and touch In Basic Roleplaying, a profession is a collection of skills being able to detect subtle or hidden things with these appropriate to a character in that role. The character will senses. receive 300 skill points to allocate among these skills, as you see fit. There are no hard-and-fast restrictions about Shield (various) (by shield): Parrying a blow with a shield. Each type of Shield skill is a specialty. Shield types include what skills the character can learn during the course of Buckler, Energy, Full, Half, Heater, Hoplite, Kite, Round, play through experience or additional training, and there etc. is no minimum number of skill points that can be allo- cated to a professional skill. For example, a police officer Sleight of Hand (05%): Feats of prestidigitation and mis- will have access to training in skills relating to law enforce- direction, such as pick-pocketing, palming coins, card tricks, and other small illusions. ment. The Basic Roleplaying core rulebook contains 44 pro- Spot (25%): Seeing things difficult to notice or otherwise fessions appropriate to a wide range of settings; this quick hidden. start provides an abbreviated list of a dozen. Professions Status (15% or various): Social standing, or the ability to using powers (magic, for example) are not provided here. manipulate ones social environment in a favorable man- ner, such as borrowing money, gaining favors, impressing Cowboy: Craft (usually knots), Firearm (Rifle), Knowledge others, etc. Each type of Status skill is a specialty. (Natural History), Knowledge (Region: the Range), Listen, Specialties might include Church, City (a particular city), Navigate, Ride, Spot, Throw, Track. Group (one group or organization), High Society, Race (a particular race), etc. Detective: Firearm (Handgun), Knowledge (Law), Listen, Persuade, Spot, Research, and four of the following: Art, Stealth (10%): Sneaking around to avoid detection or Brawl, Disguise, Dodge, Drive, Fast Talk, Firearm (any), making otherwise concealed and furtive movements. Grappl5e, Hide, Insight, Knowledge (any), Language (Other), Language (Own), Medicine, Ride, Science (any), Strategy (01%): Tactical assessment of a situation and con- Technical (Computer Use), Stealth, or Track. structing an optimal response. Often utilized in military or political situations. Doctor: First Aid, Language (Own), Medicine, Persuade, Research, Spot, and choose four of the following: Insight, Swim (25%): Guiding oneself through the water with the Language (Other), Psychotherapy, Science (any), and intent of movement or prevention of drowning. Status. Teach (10%): Imparting knowledge to others. See the sec- Hunter: Climb, Hide, Listen, Navigate, Spot, Stealth, tion on Experience on page 21 for more information. Track, and three of the following: Firearm (Handgun, Technical Skill (various) (00%, 01%, or 05%): Use of a Rifle, or Shotgun), Knowledge (Natural History or sophisticated piece of equipment or technical process. The Region), Melee Weapon (usually Spear), Missile Weapon base chance varies by setting and should be determined by (any), Language (Other), and Ride. 15

Personal Skills Not everyone is entirely his or her profession, and a char- acter shouldnt be so narrowly defined. Multiply the INT characteristic by 10 and distribute those points across any skills desired, including skills from the characters profession if desired. The GM may ask players not to raise any skill higher than 75% (unless the skills base is higher than 75%), and that any personal skills make sense for the character to have.

Equipment Now that the character is almost finished, he or she will need some gear. This can include weapons, armor, or other important paraphernalia used for a particular pro- fession. In the course of adventure there are many chances to get more equipment, but each starting PC will have in his or her immediate possession the follow- ing: A set of clothing appropriate to the characters profession and the setting. An amount of pocket money; enough to last a little while without hardship. The higher the Status roll, the more money. A personal heirloom, keepsake, or some trinket of little relative value. Any trade tools or transportable equipment suitable to The rugged life of the Martian colonies spawns independent-minded the characters profession, if appropriate. adventurershere a 31-year old scout is equipped with a battery pack to power his energy armor and comdisk to keep in touch with his Any weapon the character has a skill of 50+% in, if comrades in the field. appropriate.16

Other items as appropriate based on the Status skill, set- much background, as it can be to create too little. A ting, and subject to the GMs approval. one-shot scenario probably doesnt need lot of charac- Wealth and detailed gear listings are not addressed in this ter background, and the GM and other players may quick start edition. have a hard time imagining a character without much information provided. Create as much background as feels comfortable, and try for a sense of balance. Final Touches Any major aspects of characterization or background should be decided at this point. The GM may wish to learn more about the characters background for use in a campaign. This can include origin, family, education, religion, past actions, or goals. Generally, the more a player knows about the character, the more real he or she will become in play, though this is not always neces- sary. Its just as bad to create too

Examples of Character Creation

Following are three examples of character creation. Here the GM has allowed the players to choose any character theyd like to play, from any potential genre. Rodney rolls up his character. After rolling up his characteristics, he ends up with STR 12, CON 13, SIZ 15, INT 17, POW 13, DEX 14, and APP 13. He decides that he wants to create an intergalactic spy, a humorous buffoon who stum- bles through adventures yet always comes out on top. With his STR+SIZ, he has a +1D4 damage bonus, and the average of his CON and SIZ give him 14 hit points. Rodney picks the Spy profession, and receives 300 skill points to distribute among the professional skills. He allocates them so: Dodge +20, Fast Talk +40, Hide +30, Listen +30, Research +10, Spot +50, Stealth +50, and chooses from the other possibilities the following: Etiquette +30, and Technical (Computer Use) +20. Since the character is from a future setting, the GM allows Rodney to substitute Firearm for Energy Weapon (Pistol) +20. Rodney then has INT x 10, or 170 skill points for personal skills, and distributes them to the following skills: Pilot (Hovercar) +20, Appraise +30, Insight +50, Status +30, and Persuade +40. His Own Language is Galactic Standard, and it begins at 85% (INT x 5). Rodney adds these skill points to the existing base skill percentages, chooses a weapon (a laser pistol), and a few pieces of equipment. Henry Noodleman, intergalactic spy, is ready to go! Sarah approaches things with a clear path in mind. She wants to create an ancient world sailor named Taras. She even has a bit of history written for him, naming him the pilot of the Tin Isles expeditions. She rolls for characteristics, getting STR 13, CON 14, SIZ 15, INT 14, POW 14, DEX 14, and APP 15. She wants him to be really smart, so she moves three points from Taras SIZ to INT, making his final SIZ 12 and INT 17. Taras just barely qualifies for a +1D4 damage bonus, and he has 13 hit points. Sarah has 300 skill points to distribute amongst the professional skills for a sailor, and she set- tles on the following spread: Climb +30, Command +20, Craft (Mapmaking) +40, Dodge +20, Language (Macedonian) +20, Navigate +70, Pilot (Boat) +50, Spot +30, and Swim +20. Taras INT is 17, giving him 170 personal interest skill points, which Sarah distributes as follows: Fast Talk +20, Fine Manipulation +30, Jump +20, Listen +20, Melee Weapon (Dagger) +30, Missile Weapon (Spear) +20, and Status +30. Taras Own Language is Phoenician, at 85% (INT x 5). Sarah adds the skills to the base chances, fleshes out some of the background information, picks a weapon and some initial equipment for her character, and Taras bin-Ifn-Ghain, pilot of the Tin Isles expedition, is ready for adventure! After rolling for characteristics, Ben ends up with the following: STR 14, CON 15, SIZ 13, INT 11, POW 12, DEX 17, and APP 13. The characters damage bonus is +1D4 and he has 14 hit points. Ben decides that the character will be pret- ty good in a fight, but not very introspective or intellectual. He watched a Western last night, so he decides to create a cowboy character. He has 300 skill points to distribute, so they end up as follows: Firearm (Rifle) +50, Knowledge (Natural History) +20, Knowledge (Region: the Range) +20, Listen +40, Ride +60, Spot +40, Throw +20, Track +50. Hes got another 110 skill points for personal skills due to his INT 11, and he assigns them as Brawl +30, Dodge +30, and Firearm (Revolver) +50. Ben adds these bonuses to the base skills. His Own Language is English at 55% (INT x 5). To complete the character, Ben names him, comes up with some background information for his cowboy, and picks a rifle and pistol for his weapons. Because the characters Ride skill is 65%, Ben asks if his cowboy can have a horse. The GM agrees that it would be all right, so shortly after, Wild Walt Corbett is ready to hit the dusty trails! 17

R outine game actions in routine situa- tions almost always succeed. Generally speaking, a PC shouldnt have to rollto determine if he or she drove successfullyto work, or cooked a basic meal. However,when the action becomes dramatic or extraordi-nary, players and the GM should roll dice for theresolution. It is important to know whether charac-teristics and skills succeed when danger threatens, orif they fail miserably in the face of stress. Dice allowcrises and decision points to be resolved withoutthe constant intervention of the GM. Dice rollingis what turns Basic Roleplaying into a game system,not just a case of Mother May I? with the GMtaking the role of mother.

Success or Failure?The most impor-tant question ina roleplayinggame is Do I suc-ceed or do I fail? Next isHow well do I succeedor fail? BasicRoleplaying provides aneasy-to-understandsystem to measurethese chances, using dice rolls todetermine whether an action suc-ceeds or fails. Some skills (especiallycombat skills) are inherently dramaticand dangerous, and always are rolledfor. Players and the GM will use per-centage dice (D100) most of the timeto determine success or failure. Generally speaking, when itsnecessary to determine an attempt-ed actions success or failure, theplayers and/or the GM need tomake a percentage dice roll asdescribed in Dice and ReadingDice Results on page 6 of thisquick start edition. Characteristic18

Here is an instance where Dodge is proabably a more effective strategy than either tryng to Parry or relying on luck.

rolls are described on page 9 of this quick start, and use weather. A wide variety of conditions (weather, distrac- the same system as skill and combat rules (described tions, equipment, etc.) can affect whether its easy or below). more difficult to use a skill. To simulate this, skills can be modified in the following ways: Skill Rolls Automatic: When its completely certain that the charac- ter will succeed, and when theres nothing major at stake Player characters and NPCs alike have skills as (no life-or-death situation, no challenge, etc.), the skill described in Skills of this quick start edition, a rating of automatically succeeds. Dont even bother to roll. 00% (no chance of success) to 100+% (almost always Easy: Some combination of circumstances, conditions, or succeeding). A characters skill points are added to the other assistance has made it easier to perform the skill. In skills base chance for a chance of success. The process this case, double the skill chance. Dice should still be is simple: the player or GM announces that a character rolled even if the skill chance is now over 100%, howev- (PC or NPC) will attempt a skill. A percentage dice roll er, as theres still the chance of a special success or a fum- is made. If the roll is equal to or less than the chance of ble (both are described below). success, the skill succeeds (with appropriate results). If Normal: This is the standard, meaning that any condi- the roll is over the chance of success, the skill fails. tions, circumstances, etc. are negligible and wont affect the chance to use the skill. There are three other conditions to keep in mind when attempting a skill roll: difficulty and the special suc- Difficult: If a skill would be made more difficult by some cess. These are described below. circumstance, condition, or other situation, divide the skill chance in half (rounding up). Difficulty: Use of a skill isnt always cut and dried. Its Impossible: If its simply impossible for the skill to succeed, more difficult to drive a car in the dark during heavy such as a normal human attempting to leap 100 meters rain than it is to drive it in the middle of day in perfect into the air unaided, or solve a crossword puzzle in 19

absolute darkness, no roll should be allowed. The skill Special Success vs. Special Success: Each degrades by attempt just fails, with any appropriate consequences. two levels of success; becomes two failures (though expe- The GM may either declare no roll is needed, or allow a rience is allowed, as the rolls are still successful). roll and present the chance of a fumble (see below). Special Success vs. Success: The special success becomesThe section on spot rules on page 28 of this quick start a success; the (normal) success becomes a failure.edition cover a few situations where difficulties are Special Success vs. Failure: The special success achievesapplied, though for the most part these should be obvi- double the intended result (as appropriate); unopposed byous and assigned by the GM where appropriate. For the failing roll.example, the GM may announce that fighting in near-dark makes The Basic Roleplaying core rulebook covers opposed skillall skills Difficult, or half their normal chance. rolls in considerably more detail. This quick start editionSpecial Success: Not all successes are equal. Sometimes a presents the simplest method of resolving opposed skill rolls.skill use is just right, and the result is better than nor-mal. In this case, the result is called a special success. A The Resistance Tablespecial success is equal to one-fifth (1/5) the chance of Some actions require more than skill or natural ability:success, rounded up (use the final chance if modified by obstacles must be overcome for the character to suc-a difficulty). For example, a skill of 60% means that any roll of ceed. In these cases, refer to the resistance table and call01 through 12 is a special success, as 12 is 1/5 of 60%). for a resistance roll. Resistance rolls pit characteristics In normal skill use, a special success means that the or other measurable quantities against one other. Forskill succeeded especially well and should have an example, a heavy rock might be SIZ 15. To lift it, a character willenhanced result. The exact result should be left up to need to roll his or her STR versus the rocks SIZ on the resistancethe GM to determine, but as a rule of thumb, it should table.be twice as good as a regular success. In combat, a spe- To make a resistance roll, cross-index the activecial success does additional damage, and is described in characteristic to the passive characteristic on the resist-Special Successes in Combat on page 19 of this quick ance table (below). The active characteristic is thestart edition. party or force trying to influence the passive character- Basic Roleplaying includes another level of success, the critical istic, the one resisting any change. The cross-indexedsuccess. It also includes the fumble, a calamitous event occurringwhen the dice roll is especially high. Critical successes and fumblesare not covered in this quick start edition.

Skill vs. Skill

Often, one character will attempt a skill that must becountered by a non-player character. This is known asan opposed skill roll, and describes a situation such as aPC using Stealth to move undetected versus an NPCusing Listen to detect intruders. In these cases, both ofthe acting characters should make the appropriate skillroll and compare the results: If both parties fail, the consequences are obvious. If only one party succeeds, the successful skill is accom- plished without challenge. If both succeed normally, the highest successful roll is the one that achieves the desired result. If the rolls are tied, the character with the highest skill is successful. If one party succeeds in a special success and the other does not, the others result is shifted. If it is a normal suc- cess, it becomes a failure and the initial roll becomes a normal success.Think of levels of success as a three-stage affair: specialsuccess > success > failure, with the > meaning isgreater than. When comparing levels of success, one A robot can be built in Basic Roleplaying in several ways. It couldlevel of success essentially cancels an opposed level of be a robotic superhero, a mechanoid demon from another plane, orsuccess. an enchanted set of devices.20

value is the percentage chance each acting force has of To the right is a list of the sizes of average objects: success. To pick any of these things up, a character would For success, roll D100 equal to or less than the indi- match STR (the active characteristic) against the cated number. If the passive force is not attempting to resist, then it does not roll. For example, a character with objects SIZ (the passive characteristic). The resistance STR 13 (the active characteristic) will have a 40% chance table isnt just for picking things up, however. Use it in of picking up that SIZ 15 rock (the passive characteristic). a DEX versus DEX race to determine who wins between The rock doesnt do anything to resist, so its not going to roll two characters with an equal MOV characteristic. against the character. If the roll is 40 or below, the rock is Following are to other ways to use the resistance table: lifted. A roll of 41+ means the rock is just too heavy. The character can rest and try again later. Arm wrestling is straight STR vs. STR. 21

Successful use in two different specialties is two experi-

ence checks, not one. For example, successful rolls in Object SIZ Examples Knowledge (Occult) and Knowledge (History) are two differ- Object Full SIZ Segment SIZ ent skills, and are eligible for two experience checks. Glass window 3 3 Using a skill when it is modified to Easy (double normal Door 48 48 chance) does not count. Chair 49 49 Table 412 412 Using a skill in a non-threatening, non-adventuring situa- Manhole cover 5 5 tion where nothing is at stake doesnt count. For example, Fire hydrant 5 5 attempting to Hide when no one is looking doesnt merit a skill Potted plant 25 25 experience check. Glass door 8 8 Desk 1020 1020 At the end of the adventure, the GM should ask each Lamp post 30 10 Home interior wall 2535 8 player to make an experience roll for each skill success- Home exterior wall 2545 12 fully used and checked. An experience roll is a roll Brick wall 3050 20 higher than the skill chance (a reverse of the normal Concrete wall 3050 20 procedure). The idea that as a character gets more high- Concrete and steel wall 3555 25 Small air vehicle 40 10 ly-skilled, it gets harder to improve. If the experience Automobile 50 12 roll is higher than the skill, the character then rolls 1D6 Vault door 60 20 and adds this total to the skill. For example, if a player is Medium land vehicle 60 12 making an experience roll for a skill of 35%, any roll of 36+ is a Steel beam 65 30 success. If the player rolls a 36-00, add 1D6 to the characters Air vehicle, jet fighter 80 18 Medium tank 80 30 existing 35% skill. Erase the current skill and write the new Heavy tank 90 35 total on the character sheet. Repeat this process for Locomotive 100 20 each skill checked successfully, until completed. Air vehicle, jet cargo 100 15 Air vehicle, bomber 105 15 Generally, this is done at the end of a single adven- Air vehicle, airliner 110 15 ture, though the GM can allow for multiple chances for skill improvement for a longer adventure that provides several distinct down time periods where the charac- Squeezing through a hole in the wall pits a characters SIZ against the holes SIZ. ters can rest and reflect on what they have accom- plished. Drinking someone under the table would be CON vs. CON. The Basic Roleplaying core rulebook covers training and A psychic battle (or even a stare-down) would use POW other means of skill improvement, and allows for characteristic vs. POW. improvement. These are not covered in this quick start edition. Trying to resist a poison would pit the poisons potency (as a value) against the poisoned characters CON.The resistance table is invaluable for use when a rawcharacteristic is pitted against another. The rest of thetime: use a skill versus a skill, or best judgment.

ExperienceIf characters succeed in using skills during challengingsituations, those skills should have the chance toimprove. On the character sheet are small checkboxesnext to each skill. The first time a particular skill is usedsuccessfully in an adventure, the player should checkthe box, indicating that the skill has been used success-fully and is eligible for experience. Keep in mind thefollowing: Some gaming groups prefer a serious Subsequent uses of the skill in the adventure do not roleplaying experience, while others keep play count towards experience: one successful use is enough. light-hearted (especially for younger gamers).22

n Basic Roleplaying, time is an

I important factor, mostly to

determine what happens in what order, so that game mechanics are applied when they should be. Remember that ingame time is usually not equivalent to time actually spent play- ing. Sometimes, the GM may need to summarize the events of many days in a single sen- tence, such as It takes you a week to reach Constantinople, while at other times, particu- larly during combat, the actions of only a few seconds of time can take several min- utes or longer to resolve. Following are the important distinctions of game time:

Narrative Time This is amount of time it takes for GM may be narrating to the players, or when the players are discussing. Most gameplay occurs in narrative scale. Unless there is a specific rea- son for it, most actual roleplay- ing takes place in narrative time. When roleplaying, narra- tive time resembles real time, where a conversation takes as long to have as it takes to play. If a game session includes lengthy travel, or periods of activ- ity where exact time is not of the essence, then time is compressed greatly to a few moments of game time. The description of travel time to Constantinople is an exam- ple of this. If large amounts of time are being dealt with in this fashion, the GM should allow for the player characters to perform any activities that could fit into this timeframe, within reason. 23

The Turn variable amount of time and are listed in each appro-When its important to take note of the exact passage of priate time category.time, but not in actual combat, time is measured in A few seconds to an entire combat round Most attacksturns. Each turn equals five minutes (25 combat and parries, Artillery, Brawl, Dodge, Drive, First Aid,rounds). Turns are used for general movement when Heavy Machine, Hide, Jump, Listen, Pilot, Ride, Sense,there is no conflict or other event that must be handled Shield, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Stealth, Swim, Throw,on a minutebyminute basis. It is also a general meas- some characteristic rolls.ure for how long certain activities will take, particular- 15 minutes Appraise, Art, Artillery, Bargain, Climb,ly actions that are not during combat, such as picking a Command, Demolition, Drive, Etiquette, Fast Talk, Finelock or finding a book in a library. In these cases, the Manipulation, First Aid, Fly, Gaming, Insight, HeavyGM may rule that a certain task takes a number of turns Machine, Hide, Knowledge, Language, Listen, Literacy,to complete. Medicine, Navigate, Perform, Persuade, Pilot, Repair, Ride, Sense, Stealth, Strategy, Swim, Technical Skill, Track, some characteristic rolls.The Combat RoundA combat round is used during combat sequences, when 530 minutes Appraise, Art, Bargain, Climb,its important to note exactly what happens and in Command, Craft, Demolition, Disguise, Etiquette, Knowledge, Language, Medicine, Navigate, Perform,which order. A combat round consists of 12 seconds of Ride, Science, Sense, Status, Strategy, Swim, Teach,fastpaced activity. If the combat takes more than one Technical Skill, Track, some characteristic rolls.combat round, then another combat round beginsimmediately after. Combat rounds are repeated until 3060 minutes Appraise, Art, Climb, Command,the combat is over. A character usually gets one attack Craft, Demolition, Drive, Etiquette, Fine Manipulation,or other action and one defensive action in a combat Fly, Heavy Machine, Knowledge, Language, Medicine, Navigate, Perform, Persuade, Pilot, Psychotherapy,round. During a combat round, if a character does noth- Repair, Research, Ride, Science, Status, Strategy, Swim,ing else, he or she can move about 30 meters and still Teach, Technical Skill, Track.be able to watch what is going on nearby, parry incom-ing blows, and react to emergencies. 6 hours to many days Art, Craft, Psychotherapy, Repair, Research, Strategy, Teach, Technical Skill. The GM may require multiple successful skill rolls for extend-Skill Time ed research, study, or a complex task.Following are examples of the game time required toperform a single use of a skill. Some skills can take a

The combat round is structured to organize complex combats. Statements of Intent let the gamemaster know the players intentions. Then Powers are initiated or spells begun. The gamemaster compares the DEX values of the characters and monsters; higher DEX fires first, or flees, stabs, bites, or grabs.24

CHAPTER ONE:

INTRODUCTION

ombat is often an inevitable part of most adventures. In combat it is often essential to know

C exactly what happens when, who can act at a particular time, and what actions are pos- sible in the amount of time provided. This section addresses the wide variety of actions that occur during a combat round.

The Combat Round

As noted previously, a combat round is 12 seconds long, and in it, each character can perform actions and react to other actions in an order usually determined by his or her DEX characteristic. A combat round consists of four phases. These always occur in the same order, and are repeated with each new combat round until the combat is over. These are described below. 1.Statement of Intent 2.Movement 3.Actions 4.Resolution

Statement of Intent The GM and players involved in a combat round must announce what they will do. The order that actions can be attempted in is determined by your characters DEX characteristic. Players or GMs do not need to announce defensive actions (parries, dodges, etc.) during this phase. Statements of intent should be handled in order of the DEX characteristic of all involved characters, highest to lowest. The player of a character with a high DEX ranks makes his or her statements of intent before a character with a low DEX rank. Usually the GM will count down, from the highest DEX to the lowest, calling on each player to state his or her intended actions at the 25

appropriate times, and announcing how the NPCs will those in handtohand (melee) combat. After these goact at the appropriate DEX characteristics. If there is a characters armed with long weapons (spears, lances,need to determine who acts first when DEX ranks are etc.), then those with mediumlength weaponstied, use the relevant skill. The character with the high- (swords, axes, etc.) and finally those with short weaponser skill rating goes first. If these are still tied, the actions (daggers, etc.) or who are unarmed. If a weapon hasoccur simultaneously. more than one range listed, the user can choose which range to act on. Parries and Dodges occur within the same DEX rank as the original attack.MovementIf a character is not involved in combat, he or she canmove around 30 meters in a combat turn if performing Attackingno actions other than defensive (parries or dodges). A To attack, roll percentage dice (D100%) and try tocharacter can move between 6 and 15 meters and still obtain a result equal to or lower than the attack chance.act at his or her normal DEX rank. Moving between Lower is better. If the roll is less than 1/5 of the attack1629 meters in a combat round means that the char- chance, a special success is achieved. Special successesacter acts at his or her normal DEX rank. are covered below. A special success on an attack is bet- ter than a normal success, and requires an equally suc- cessful parry or dodge to avoid. Any roll higher than theActions attack chance is a failure, and does no damage to theCharacters (PCs and NPCs) act on their DEX rank, so opponent.someone on DEX rank 15 will go before someone onDEX rank 14. If there are multiple characters attempt-ing to act on the same DEX rank, attacks are performed Parryingin order of weapon type. Attackers armed with missile Parrying is essentially knocking or blocking the attack-weapons (bows, guns, etc.) will be able to act before ing weapon out of the way. A parry is determined after the attack roll is made. If an attack fails, it does not need to be parried. If the attack is successful, the attacked character may wish to parry it. To parry, the character must be aware of, and be able to see the attack Attack and Defense Matrix coming. Determine a successful parry just like an attack Attack RollParry RollDodge Roll Result roll, by rolling percentage dice below the parry skill Special Special Special Defender parries or dodges (equal to the weapons attack skill). A special success attack, no other result. (described below) means an especially good parry, and Special Success Success Attack partially parried or is required to fully counteract an attack with a special dodged and achieves a normal success result. It is impossible to parry firearms or high- success. Defenders armor value velocity weapons (energy weapons, etc.) and the subtracted from damage. Parrying weapon or shield takes chance of parrying missile weapons is based on the size 2 points of damage.* and type of the shield. Weapons and shields occasional- Special Failure Failure Attack achieves a special ly take damage from being used to parry, and can even success. Attack does full break if their hit points are overcome. damage plus normal damage bonus and appropriate special result. Defenders armor value Dodging subtracted from damage. Dodging is essentially getting out of the way of an Success Special Special Defender blocks or dodges damage; no other result. If oncoming attack. A dodge is determined after the parried in melee combat, attack roll is made. If an attack fails, it does not need to attackers weapon takes 1 point be dodged. If the attack is successful, the attacked char- of damage.* acter may wish to dodge it. To dodge, the character Success Success Success Defender blocks or dodges must be aware of, and be able to see the attack coming. damage, no other result. Determine a successful dodge just like an attack roll, by Success Failure Failure Attack strikes defender and rolls rolling percentage dice below the dodge skill chance. A damage normally. Defenders armor value subtracted from special success (described below) means an especially damage. good dodge, and is required to fully avoid an attack with a special success result. It is impossible to dodge firearms Failure No damage; no effect. * or high-velocity weapons, although the GM may allow the character to dodge arrows and thrown weapons as if the task were Difficult ( normal skill level).26

Combat Summary Armor

A quick means of determining who hits who in a com- Armor protects its wearer from being injured. Its not bat is to compare levels of success, just as with skills: invulnerable, though. Light armor stops a little damage, special success > success > failure. A success will cancel and heavy armor stops a lot of damage. For example, soft out an equivalent level of success. This table summa- leather armor stops 1 point of damage, while full plate armor rizes the results in combat. stops 8 points of damage. When a character is hit in com- bat, subtract the armor points from the points of dam- age that have been rolled. Damage above and beyond the armors protection value bypasses the armor and is inflicted on the character. Following is a simplified and abbreviated list of the armor types presented in Basic Roleplaying. Armor is defined by Armor Points (how many points are sub- tracted from damage) and a Note describing additional Weapons and Damage effects wearing the armor has on the character. The Weapons are described in the following manner: physical skills are Climb, Dodge, Hide, Jump, Stealth, The Skill used. This are the specialties described on pages Swim, and Throw and the Agility characteristic roll. 12-14. The Base Chance, which any skill points are added to. The Basic Roleplaying core rulebook covers dozens of other The Damage the weapon does against the target. A char- types of armor, from primitive hides to personal energy acters damage bonus is added to this, and damage shields. bonus means roll and divide by 2, rounding up. The number of Hands needed to use the weapon properly. Shields The Hit Points of the weapon if it is parried with. Essentially, a shield is a movable obstacle a character The Range of the weapon provided in meters: below this tries to intercept incoming attacks with. Parrying with range and the attack chance is not modified, while at up a shield follows the same rules as parrying with a to twice the range the attack becomes Difficult ( skill weapon, though low-velocity missile weapons (thrown, chance). At up to three times the range, the attack arrows, etc.) can be parried with a shield. Generally, a chance is the normal chance, and beyond three times the range there is no chance of hitting the target. target shield has a straight 15% chance to parry a mis- sile weapon, a full (heater, kite, or round) shield has The Basic Roleplaying core rulebook lists at least a hun- 30%, and a large (Hoplite or riot-style) shield has 60%. dred other types of weapons, many of which do alternate If a character kneels behind a large shield, the chance types of damage, from explosives, shock, entanglement, etc. becomes 90%. Other than a few instances, advanced/futuristic melee and missile weapons are not covered in this quick start version. Shields are described by Base Chance to parry or attack with, Damage done if used as a weapon (a shield bash, etc.), and by Armor Points. The Basic Roleplaying core rulebook provides many Armor other types of shields from a variety of historical and genre sources. Name AP Skill Modifier Bulletproof Vest 8 -5% to Physical skills Chain 7 -20% to Physical skills Flak Jacket 4 -10% to Physical skills Clothing, Heavy 1 None Shields Helmet, Heavy +2 -50% to Perception skills Name Base Chance Skill AP/HP Damage Helmet, Light +1 -15% to Perception skills Full Shield 15% Shield 22 1D4+db Leather, Soft 1 None Heater 15% Shield 20 1D3+db Leather, Hard 2 -10% to Physical skills Hoplite 15% Shield 26 1D4+db Plate, Full 8 -25% to Physical skills Kite 15% Shield 22 1D4+db Plate, Half 7 -20% to Physical skills Riot 15% Shield 16 1D3 + db Quilted 2 -5% to Physical skills Round 15% Shield 20 1D3+db Target 15% Shield 15 1D2+db Riot Gear 12/6 -10% to Physical skills 27

mine the value of a special success, determine the

maximum damage the weapon can roll, and then add Melee Weapons the results of a normal damage roll to it. Add the dam- age modifier (if any) on top of that. The resulting Weapon Skill Base Dmg Hands HP amount of damage is then delivered to the opponent Axe, Battle Axe 15 1D8+2+db 1H 15 (with its armor subtracted from the damage, as nor- Axe, Great Axe 15 2D6+2+db 2H 15 mally). Axe, Hand Axe 15 1D6+1+db 1H 12 Brawl Brawl 25 1D3+db 1H n/a Club, Heavy Club 25 1D8+db 2H 22 Healing Club, Light Club 25 1D6+db 1H 15 A character will usually heal 1D3 hit points per game Dagger Dagger 25 1D4+db 1H 15 week, meaning that at the end of a seven-day period, Halberd Polearm 15 3D6+db 2H 25 the GM rolls 1D3 and the character has that many hit Hammer Hammer 25 1D6+db 1H 15 Hammer, Great Hammer 25 1D10+3+db 2H 15 points restored to his or her total, up to maximum hit Knife Dagger 25 1D3+1+db 1H 15 points. If the character is in a hospital under ideal Mace, Heavy Mace 25 1D8+2+db 2H 20 conditions and receiving top-notch medical treat- Mace, Light Mace 25 1D6+2+db 1H 20 ment, the GM may choose to allow the maximum Pike Polearm 15 1d10+2+db 2H 15 healing rather than rolling 1D3. Staff, Quarter- Staff 25 1D8+db 2H 20 Successful use of the First Aid skill will heal 1D3 Spear, Long Spear 15 1D10+db 2H 15 hit points per injury. Keep track of each injury sepa- Sword, Broad Sword 15 1D8+1+db 1H 20 rately; the First Aid skill can be applied to wounds to Sword, Great Sword 05 2D8+db 2H 18 reduce their severity, restoring lost hit points. Sword, Short Sword 15 1D6+1+db 1H 20 Successful use of First Aid can only heal the total hit points in damage for an individual wound. For exam- ple, if a character has taken 2 hit points in damage from a single wound, a successful use of First Aid canDamage and Injury only heal 2 hit points for that particular wound, even ifEach character has hit points (HP) derived from the the dice indicate more. An injury may have First Aidaverage of Constitution and Size. When a weapon suc- applied to it only once. If the roll is unsuccessful, it iscessfully strikes a character (or the character suffers still bandaged and cleaned but is not overly beneficial.some other injury), damage points (after armor) are sub-tracted from current hit points. For example, an unin-jured character has 12 hit points and is wearing hardleather armor (worth 2 points). She takes 6 points ofdamage from an attack. Two points aresubtracted from the damage because of herarmor protection, and she takes 4 hitpoints in damage. This reduces her to 8 hit Missile Weaponspoints. Any more damage is subtracted Weapon Skill Base Dmg Hands HP Rangefrom this new total. Axe, Hand (thrown) Missile 10 1D6+db 1H 12 20 meters If a character is reduced to 2 hit points, Bow, Long Bow 05 1D8+1+db 2H 10 90 metersshe falls unconscious for 1D6 hours or until Crossbow, Heavy* Crossbow 25 2D6+2 2H 18 55 metersawakened by another character. If the Crossbow, Light* Crossbow 25 1D6+2 2H 10 40 meterscharacter is reduced to 0 hit points, she is Daggar (thrown) Missile 15 1D4+db 1H 15 10 metersdead. Under normal circumstances, a char- Knife, (thrown) Missile 15 1d3+1+db 1H 10 10 metersacter heals 1D3 hit points per week, up to Pistol** Firearm 20 1D8 1H 8 20 metershis or her maximum hit point total. Pistol, Laser** Energy Weapon 20 1D8 1H 14 20 meters Rifle** Firearm 25 2D6 2H 12 80 meters Rifle, Laser** Energy Weapon 15 2D8 2 20 100 metersSpecial Successes Rock (thrown) Throw Throw 1D2+db 1H n/a 20 metersIn combat, when a special success is Sling Missile 05 1D8+db 2H 2 80 metersachieved, it means that the attack wasexceptionally well-made, striking deep NOTES: * Crossbows are slower to fire than most missile weapons; each takes a full combat round to reload, so they caninto the opponents body or hitting per- only be fired on every other round.fectly. A special success is often a killing **Pistols and rifles hold 6 shots apiece; laser pistols and rifles have charges for 20 shots.blow to most normal opponents. To deter-28

S pot rules cover a variety of situations outside of combat. These include environmental issues, damage from other sources, or modifiers that may affect gameplay. The Basic Roleplaying core rule- book contains more than 60 spot rules, while this quick start edition has an abbre- viated list. Ambush: If an attacker has successfully made a Stealth or Hide roll and remained undetected (versus a Listen, Sense, or Spot roll), he or she can ambush an opponent. If the attacks are with missile weapons, the ambusher gets a single combat round where all of his or her attacks are Easy. If the ambusher is using a hand-to-hand weapon, the defender can only try to Dodge or parry (if a weapon is available) for one combat round. Next round, combat is handled as normal.

Backstabs: If the target is unaware of the

specific whereabouts of an attacker in a combat, the target must make a Difficult Listen, Sense, or Spot roll. If the target remains unaware (fails the roll), an attacker behind or to the side of him or her can try to backstab the opponent: an Easy attack. Dodging or parrying this attack is Difficult.

Cover: Hiding behind something larger,

equal to, or up to the characters SIZ can offer a defensive bonus. If the item can serve as cover, any missile attacks against him or her are Difficult. An attack that would nor- mally hit but misses is assumed to hit the cover. The GM should determine if the attack passes through the cover, reducing damage appropriately (a brick or metal wall might stop the attack completely, a thin wood wall might only reduce damage by 4 points, etc.).

Darkness: If fighting in near-total darkness

(without any night vision or equivalent), all combat skills become Difficult. In pitch 29

black darkness, all combat skills are equivalent to POW Knockout Attacks: It is possible to attempt to knockas a %, or are Difficult (whichever is lower). another character unconscious rather than killing him. To knock someone out, make a Difficult attack and roll dam-Drawing a Weapon: Drawing a weapon from a sheath or age as normal, subtracting armor. Compare the damageholster takes 5 DEX ranks. Putting a weapon away takes done against the characters hit points (total, not cur-the same amount. It takes no DEX ranks to drop a rent). If the damage is equal to or greater than theweapon. characters normal hit point total, the character is knocked out, with no actual damage being done. If theFalling: A falling character takes 1D6 points of damage damage rolled is equal to or less than the normal hitper 3 meters distance, rounded up. For example, a 7-meter point total, the attack does minimum possible damagefall does 3D6 points of damage. (the lowest the dice can roll, including the minimumFiring into Combat: Firing a missile weapon at a charac- strength bonus) in hit points, and the target is notter that is engaged in combat penalizes the attacker by knocked out.20% to his skill chance. Firing a missile weapon atanother character while both the attacker and target areengaged in combat makes an attack Difficult.

An Example of CombatPlucked from their home eras, the three player characters; intergalactic spy Henry Noodleman (Rodneys char-acter), navigator Taras bin-Ifn-Ghain (Sarahs character), and cowboy Wild Walt Corbett (Bens character),have formed an uneasy alliance born of necessity. After escaping the wreckage of the strange, time-shiftingalien vessel that kidnapped them from their homes, these three resourceful heroes are exploring their sur-roundings, an ancient set of ruins of vaguely Mesoamerican design. They climbed to a vantage point on top ofa nearby stone ziggurat, and looked around. After the GM described the area, he asked the players to make Spot rolls for their characters. These gaveaway the presence of a handful of ghastly, shambling irradiated creatures lurching from the spaceship wreck-age the ships labor crew of reanimated corpses. Zombies from outer space! It is clear that the heroes will haveto battle these horrible creatures, or be consumed by their hunger for living flesh. Henry has DEX 14, 14 HP, and the skills Dodge 48%, and Energy Weapon (Pistol) 40%. He is armed witha laser pistol that does 1D8 points of damage and has 20 charges. He has no armor. Taras has DEX 14, 13 HP, and the skills Dodge 48%, and Melee Weapon (Dagger) 45%, and MissileWeapon (Spear) 35%. He is armed with a dagger (1D4+1D4 damage) and a spear (1D10+1+1D4 damage, or1D10+1+1D2 damage thrown), and is wearing hard leather armor (2 points of protection, but 10% to physi-cal skills). Walt has DEX 17, 14 HP, and the skills Dodge 64%, Firearm (Pistol) 70%, and Firearm (Rifle) 75%. He isarmed with a revolver (1D8 damage) and a rifle (2D6 damage) and is not wearing any armor. Each gun has sixshots. The players do not know it, but these five creatures are identical to zombies from the core rulebook, withDEX 7 and 14 HP apiece. They attack with a bite (30%, 1D3+1D2 damage), or claw (25%, 1D3+1D4 dam-age). Zombies never attempt to dodge. They are fairly resistant to weapons, and most physical weapons do onlyhalf damage against them. Fire (in this case, in the form of Henrys laser pistol) does full damage. The GM hascreated a little sheet of scratch paper keeping track of the zombies, numbering them 1 through 5 (though thesenumbers wont be known to the players). Since both parties are aware of one another, the GM decides that combat goes in order of DEX, as normal.The creatures are 5 MOV units away from the heroes, meaning that any heroes with missile weapons will geta free shot before the alien zombies attack them. The creatures make an unearthly groan, and say a word thatmight be alien dialect for brrainnnsss as they approach.

Round One At DEX rank 17 Walt shoots first with his rifle. Ben rolls a 34, a hit! He rolls 7 points of damage. The GMsecretly reduces this to the normal amount, rounding up, and applies 4 points of damage to zombie #1. At DEX rank 14, both Henry and Taras are able to act. Since theyre both doing the same thing, they eachtake a shot simultaneously at zombies #2 and #3. Taras throws his spear, and Sarah rolls a 20, a hit! Sarah rollsfor damage and gets a total of 5 points. The GM divides by 2 and applies 3 points of damage to zombie #2.30

Henry rolls a 04, a special success! He rolls 7 points of damage, and this doubles to 14. Since zombies arent immune to fire, the GM announces that this zombie (#3) literally bursts into flame and falls down dead. Taras and Walt look at Henry questioningly, and he looks at his own pistol in awe. At DEX rank 7, all of the zombies make their full MOV to reach the heroes. The heroes are at the summit of the step pyramid, so theres nowhere they can go.

Round Two At DEX 17, Walt is able to take another shot at the zombie (#1) approaching him. He rolls an 89 and misses! At DEX 14, Taras and Henry are able to go. Henry fires again with his lucky laser pistol. He rolls a 38, scor- ing a normal hit for 6 points of damage to zombie #4. Taras, left unarmed without his spear, draws his dagger, costing him 5 DEX ranks. This reduces him to DEX rank 9, still before the zombies. At DEX rank 9, Taras steps down a step (taking 1 MOV) and attacks zombie #2. The roll is 13, a hit! This does 5 points of damage, which the GM reduces to 3 points and applies to zombie #2, already wounded from the thrown spear. This zombie has only 9 HP left. At DEX rank 7, the characters must now face the wrath of the star-zombies! The zombies each move 1 MOV and are able to make attacks against the characters. The GM rolls attacks for the zombies. Zombies #1 and #5 will attack Walt, zombie #2 will attack Taras, and zombie #4 attacks Henry. To make things easy, the GM decides that each zombie will use a claw attack (25%). Zombie #1 misses Walt (a roll of 78), but #5 rolls a 14. Walt tries to dodge, but rolls a 77 and fails. The star- zombies claw tears into his flesh for 4 points of damage. Ben winces and marks the damage on his character sheet, leaving Walt with 10 HP. Perhaps frenzied by blood, zombies #2 and #4 miss Taras and Henry with rolls of 89 and 36, respectively.

Round Three At DEX rank 17, its once more Walts time to attack. Attacking with a missile weapon while attacker and target are in melee combat makes any attack Difficult. Despite a lowered chance, Ben rolls a 03, a special suc- cess! He rolls 10 points of damage, and doubling it for the special success makes it 20 points. Even though the zombies resistance to normal weapons lowers the damage to 10 points, is still enough to take injured zombie #1 out of the fight (as Walt had done 4 points of damage to it in round one). It groans, and falls dead (again) to the ground. At DEX rank 14, Henry can shoot with his pistol at the same penalty, and rolls a 91, a miss! Things are not looking great for him! Taras stabs at zombie #2 with his dagger and gets a result of 45, exactly whats needed. This time damage is a 7, reduced to 4 points. The zombie already has 9 HP from previous injuries, and its total is now 5 HP. Injured but not down yet. This fight looks like its going to last a while longer will our heroes survive?

Optional Rules in the Basic Roleplaying Core Rulebook

The Basic Roleplaying core rulebook contains a wide variety of optional rules. Additionally, many of the rules presented in this quick start edition are abbreviated or simplified versions of the BRP core rules. The following are many of the optional rules pro- vided in Basic Roleplaying:

he following brief scenarios illustrate the breadth of possibility when using the

T Basic Roleplaying system. Each provides a glimpse into what could be longer campaigns, a succession of adventures played-out over several evenings. Usethese vignettes to gain experience playing BRP, or as seeds to craft further adven-tures of your own.

The Prisoner of Richelieu

A SWASHBUCKLING ADVENTURE BY ANTHONY WARREN

rance, 1626: The Queens

F messenger has been arrested

by the cruel CardinalRichelieu. Kings musketeerDArtagnan and associates aresworn to rescue Msr. Treville andhis message. You must enter theprison tonight and rescue Trevillebefore tomorrows execution!1) Prison gate: 4 of the Cardinals Guard are here; Fast Talk or Persuade rolls allow PCs to pass without suspicion. Failure or attack means combat! Cardinals Guard: DEX 12, Hit Points 12, Armor 1 Attacks: Rapier 40%, 1d6+1 Skills: Dodge 25%, Listen 45%, Stealth 55%.2) The courtyard, filled with crates, barrels and long shadows, echoes with the sound of partying from the barracks. 6 guards are here. If theyve heard fighting they will be alert. Sneak rolls evade them, but failure means a Luck roll success then means only getting attacked by one guard, failure means he raises the alarm and the entire court- yards guards attack!3) The barracks. There are 20 guards here carousing. Upon entering the guards will think PCs are friends as long as Etiquette,32

The Player-Characters Frederic, Sneaky Thief

Take some time to copy the characters down on a sep- STR 10 ______Effort: 50% arate piece of paper or cut them out and hand them to players. CON 12______Stamina: 60%

Luck or Charisma or similar rolls are made. If threatened, 4) The stables: 6 horses and 2 stable-hands. Bargain, Fast the guards draw swords, giving enough time for PCs to talk, Intimidation or similar rolls have the boys tell the PCs about the party at the barracks and the new prisoner escape... but the entire prison is alerted! With care, play- in the cellblock nearby. If attacked, they flee, returning ers can steal two rapiers (1d6+1 damage) and two pistols with 1d3+1 guards. (2d6+1 damage / one shot only, 45%) from sleeping sol- 5) Gallows: 3 guards are lazing here, drunk. If Intimidated, diers. Persuaded, Bargained with or beaten in combat they sur- 33

render their uniforms (SIZ 12). These can be used to Once rescued, he tells them the message to the Queen is enter and move around the prison with Disguise rolls. in the governors bedroom. The other prisoners will join Drunken Guard: DEX 11, Hit Points 11, Armor 1 in fighting the guards. Treville: STR 11, DEX 13, SIZ 11, Attacks: Rapier 35%, 1d6+1 Skills: Dodge 18%, Listen Hit Points 14, Armor 1, Attacks: Rapier 52%, 1d6+1; 15%, Stealth 25%. Brawl 57% 1d3 Skills: Disguise 64%, Dodge 32%, Listen6) Governors home: A fine building filled with expensive 44%, Ride 63%, Stealth 38% furniture. There are also 2 guards here. The governor is Prisoner: STR 11, DEX 12, SIZ 11, Hit Points 12, asleep. Trevilles belongings (including the message) are Armor 1, Attacks: Brawl 53%, 1d3; Rapier 46%, 1d6+1 in the governors bedroom. Stealthily breaking in to steal Skills: Disguise 32%, Dodge 25%, Listen 32%, Ride it needs Climb/Agility and Sneak rolls, with a Spot roll to find it. If these are failed the governor wakes! Otherwise 34%, Stealth 43% (if one of the PCs is dead, give them players can fight their way to the belongings! Governor: Treville or a prisoner as a PC upon their rescue) DEX 14, Hit Points 15, Armor 2, Attacks: Rapier 60%, With message and Treville, the PCs must escape. 1d6+1; Brace of pistols 41%, 2d6+1 (1 shot each) Skills: They could Sneak out or fight their way through the Dodge 30%, Listen 24%, Stealth 43% guards. Maybe they could steal a horse and Ride away.7) Cellblock: 8 guards are here. The cell with an X is If the guards realise they are trying to escape they may Trevilles. 6 other prisoners beg to be freed. Before being lower the prison gate, needing Demolitions or two play- defeated, the last guard throws the cell key down a grate. ers to lift the gate with Effort. Whatever happens, suc- Players can lift the grate (Effort), Pick Lock Trevilles cess brings the Queens gratitude, along with the enmi- door or blow open the cell with a grenade (Demolitions)! ty of Cardinal Richelieu..

Footsteps in the Dark

A SCIENCE FICTION ADVENTURE BY NICK MIDDLETON

ead to the players: You are colonists and a native guide on the frontier world of

R Laucaston at the edge of the war between the Confederate Worlds and the Xantakian League. You were on your way to investigate an alert from anunmanned survey station in the outback when your transport was shot down by energyweapon fire. You have to make you way to the station on foot, and alert the authorities. The characters are at point X on the map. They E PC's taking the forested valley route are attacked by ahave a emergency supplies and survival equipment sal- local ambush predator, a hexapedal lizard: Dex 15, Movevaged from the wreck of their transport, but no com- 10, Hit Points 14, Armor 3, Attacks: Bite 30%, 1d6 +munications gear. They are at least three days on foot Poison (victim rolls Stamina or becomes sick: all skills at 1/2 until healed), Skills: Listen 75%, Stealth 75%.away from the survey station ( S ) and its communica-tions equipment. A xantakian infiltration unit shot the F PC's taking the forested valley route enter an area ofPC's transport down. They have crashed at point Xk very old dry Lycopodiophyta (Knowledge (Outback) orand are also heading for the survey station. Laucaston is Science rolls to identify). Luck rolls to avoid causing anot yet terra-formed and is dominated by primitive spark which triggers an explosion of the highly com- bustible spores (2d6 damage to PC triggering explosion).plants similar to giant spiked mosses (Lycopodiophyta). G Native airborne predators (Vaguely manta ray like) nestA If Svenar makes his Knowledge (Outback), PC's have here. They ignore PC's in either valley, but attack PC's the option of taking the forest valley route (route 3). on the mountain top attacking them with energyB If Svenar makes his Knowledge (Outback) or Laneck weapons will notify the xantakia of the PC's location. makes his Navigate PC's can choose to follow the direct Rays (2): Dex 16, Move 12, Hit Points 13, Armor 2, route and climb the mountain (route 2). Attacks: Wing Slash 55%, 1d8 or Tail barb 45%, 1d4 +C If the PC's detour to the site from which they were Poison (Stamina roll to avoid half movement until attacked they find a wrecked xantakian scout vessel and healed); Skills: Dodge 40%. four dead xantakia. From here Svenar can attempt to H PC's who took the valley bottom route (1) will be Track the xantakia (a party of three survivors). ambushed by the xantakia here. PC's who crossed theD PC's face an awkward climb 3 Climb rolls for each mountain (2) will have an opportunity to spot the xan- character. Each failure costs 1d3 hit points OR a quarter takia on the valley bottom here and ambush THEM. days delay, players choice. Otherwise, the xantakia will be at the station when the34

D Note there are two of these one on the route over

the mountain and another difficult climb that the PC's can't avoid on their final approach to the survey sta- tion. Xantakia are squat reptilians, vaguely reminiscent of Chimpanzees in shape. Golacki are native to Laucaston. Taller than humans with an extra joint in each limb and scales they look a little like insect-like but are mammals with small head horns.

The Player-Characters Take some time to copy the characters down on a sepa- rate piece of paper or cut them out to use them on their own. Assume basic survival equipment. All humans, rumahl and xantakia require filter masks because of the spores and dust in the planets atmosphere. Svenar does- n't need a filter mask.

The Lost Temple of Garthoon

A FANTASY ADVENTURE BY TROY WILHELMSON

ead to the players: You have traveled many miles through dangerous lands fol-

R lowing an ancient map to find the Lost Temple of Garthoon and recover the golden idol that lies within. You now find your party at the opening of a cave, which themap claims is the entrance to the dark temple!1.Entryway Have the players make a Spot roll to find ancient 4.Open Pit There is a deep pit that is as wide as the tunnel here. writings carved in the wall. If successful, have them make a The Players must find a way across. Options include an Agility Knowledge (Ancient Lore) roll to read the following: Beware roll to jump across or a Climb roll to climb across the wall. If intruders for you stand at the gate of the Temple of Garthoon. any character falls they may make a Luck roll to grab the ledge. Those who would dare trespass here will face certain death! If they still fall, they will take 4D6 damage.2.Spider Lair The walls here are covered in thick webs. A large 5.Guardian Statue A statue of a brutish man stands here. A Spider is hiding on the wall at the X. Have the players make a Knowledge (Nature) roll shows that this is a statue of an Orc. Spot roll to notice it. If they miss the spider will use its Stealth A Knowledge (Ancient Lore) roll reveals that Garthoon is a to sneak up on them and attack. Large Spider: Dex 15, Move God of the Orcs and is known to raise the dead to serve him. 10, Hit Points 12, Armor 2, Attacks: Bite 30%, 1D6 + Poison 6.The Temple Bones are scattered across the floor of the domed (victim rolls Stamina or becomes sick: all skills at 1/2 until chamber. At the far end of the room is another statue of healed), Skills: Listen 75%, Stealth 75%. Garthoon. However, there is no sign of a golden idol. The2a. Spider Lair If the Players search this area, have them make players can make Spot rolls to try to find the Idol but none will a Spot roll to find: 200 gold coins and a magic dagger (2D4 work. Only Aagarths spell Perception will locate the Idol hid- damage). den in a secret hole behind the statue. When the Idol is taken the bones will clatter and begin to form into several skeletons!3.Trapped Tunnel Have Fenric make a Knowledge (Caves) to Skeletons (4): Dex 11, Move 10, Hit Points 13, Armor 1, see that something isnt right in this area. Smithe may then Attacks: Sword 55%, 1D8; Skills: Dodge 40%. roll a Spot to find a trap, followed by a Fine Manipulation (Traps & Locks) to try to disarm it. If the players fail any of Once the skeletons are defeated the players may take these rolls the trap is released and several spears are shot from their treasure and escape from the Lost Temple of the wall (Spears (1 per player) 85%, 1D8 damage). Garthoon!36

Smithe, Halfling Thief

STR 07 ______Effort: 35%

CON 24______Stamina: 120%

SIZ 06 _______Damage Bonus: -1D4

The Player-Characters INT 10 ______Idea: 50% Here is the basic information for sample player-charac- POW 12 _____Luck: 60% ters. Have each player transfer this data to a character sheet. DEX 19 ______Agility: 95%

INT 12 ______Idea: 60% Powers: Force Blade Attack 50%, 2D10

APP 12 ______Charisma: 60%

39

The Bank Heist

A PRESENT-DAY ADVENTURE BY JASON WILLIAMS

fter weeks of planning and acquiring bulletproof vests and other equipment, a pair

A of bank robbers is ready to strike. It is a small rural bank in an area that is lightly patrolled by the sheriffs department. The Gamekeeper can optionally divide theplayers into two groups and have one half take the part of the police and the other the rob-bers. Detail and name to bank employees and patrons if you wish for them to becomedirectly involved. pick up her phone and dial 911, briefly tell the operator what is happening and then go out behind the counter to see if she can keep things calm. Staff Room Typical staff room, tables, chairs, sink, microwave, etc. Nobody is in here during noon hour. Loan Officer Empty office, she left for lunch about 10 minutes earlier.

The Police Arrive

The scenario starts after the robbers have entered the bank and the police receive an alarm. The police car pulls up in front of the building where there is an van by the front door with the engine running. A spot roll will allow the responding officers to assess the sit- uation. The gamekeeper can turn it into a shootout, a hostage negotiation/rescue situa- tion, or allow the robbers to reach the van and turn it into a chase. Your only limit with this short scenario is your imagination!

The Player-CharactersParking Lot Robbers arrive here in a van at noon hour. Take some time to copy the characters down on a sepa-Customer Area 1D6 + 6 customers (20% chance each rate piece of paper or cut them out to use them on their that they are armed). own or hand them out to playersTeller Counter 3 bank tellers each with a cash drawer with $3000 in cash. One bundle in each drawer is trapped David, robber boss with dye bomb (Spot roll to detect). A teller will trigger silent alarm unless the robbers enter very aggressively. STR 13 ______Effort: 65% First police car will arrive in 1D6+6 minutes. CON 13______Stamina: 65%Vault Door is partially open, but inside cage requires a key (bank manager). There is a total of $50,000 in cash, SIZ 15 _______Damage Bonus: +1D4 mostly in small bills. Robbers can gather and bag $5,000 per minute spent inside the vault. INT 14 ______Idea: 70%

Hall & Washrooms 20% chance that one of the tellers or POW 10 _____Luck: 50% bank manager will be in this area. If so they can exit the emergency door triggering an alarm. DEX 11 ______Agility: 55%Bank Manager Office Woman in her late middle ages who APP 15 ______Charisma: 75% has a monitor with video feed of public area. She will40

STR 14 ______Effort: 70%

CON 14______Stamina: 70%

SIZ 14 _______Damage Bonus: +1D4

INT 14 ______Idea: 70%

POW 14 _____Luck: 70%

DEX 14 ______Agility: 70%

APP 14 ______Charisma: 70%

Assault on the Farm-House

A WORLD WAR II ADVENTURE BY TOM de MAYO

t is July, 1944 in France. Your orders are to scout the farm-house ahead and, if nec-

I essary, take it from any German defenders.

A. The Road The GIs begin here. The road is unpaved firing the machine gun at them. The dreaded German with a high hedge on either side. The GIs can climb the Spandau machine-gun makes a terrifying sound like rip- hedge with a successful Climb roll. ping cloth as it opens up. For each round that the GIs remain on the road, Johan makes an attack against them B. Spandau! The German soldiers in the Farm House (60%). They cannot Dodge, but if they take cover, have this approach targeted with their machine-gun. Johans test becomes Difficult (30%). Damage from the Johan will allow the GIs to advance along the path before machine-gun is 2d6+4 burst. All Stealth attempts are 41

German Soldiers (Ernst, Johan, Hans, Willie): Use

The Player-Characters Take some time to copy the characters down on a sepa- rate piece of paper or cut them out to use them on their own or hand them out to players

Sergeant Sarge Hanks

STR 17 ______Effort: 85%

CON 16______Stamina: 80%

SIZ 16 _______Damage Bonus: +1D6

INT 12 ______Idea: 60%

POW 07 _____Luck: 35%

DEX 10 ______Agility: 50%

APP 08 ______Charisma: 40%

Move: 10 Difficult, and return fire is Impossible. The GIs will need Hit Points: 16 to go around this area; let Johan shoot at them until they get the idea. Armor: none

C. Mine-field This field lies in disrepair; the fences on Attacks: Fist, 70%, 1d3+1d6 each side have been smashed and broken in many places. Rifle 55%, 2d6 + 2 impaling In the middle of field, lies the burst corpse of a cow. On a Throw (Grenade) 40%, 4d6 Spot roll, GIs can tell that it was killed by an explosion. Skills: Chomp Cigar 90%, Climb 40%, Dodge 35%, Grapple 50%, The field is laden with mines. If the GIs enter the field, Spot 35%, Stealth 40%. make a Luck roll for the lead character. On a failure, he steps on a mine. On a Listen roll, he notices the distinc- Corporal Giuseppe Flarconi tive click and can keep his foot on the mine, allowing someone to attempt to disarm it with Demolition. On any STR 10 ______Effort: 50% failure it explodes, doing 4d6 damage to him and anyone nearby. To cross the field requires d6 successful Luck or CON 12______Stamina: 60% Demolition rolls; failure results in someone stepping on SIZ 10 _______Damage Bonus: none another mine.D. Forest Hans and Ernst are patrolling the forest. Roll INT 14 ______Idea: 70% Stealth for each GI who enters; if they pass, they spot the POW 14 _____Luck: 70% Germans before the Germans see them. Otherwise, the Germans Surprise them. Hans and Ernst will only surren- DEX 13 ______Agility: 65% der if obviously out-fought or if a GI uses Fast Talk on them. Ernst speaks a little English (25%). APP 12 ______Charisma: 60%

E. The Farm-House The Farm-House can only be Move: 10

approached by the path, the forest, or the mine-field. Hit Points: 10 Johan and Willie are here, manning the machine-gun. Armor: none They have sight out all four sides via the windows, but their gun can only fire down the path. Each GI must Attacks: Fist 50%,1d3 make a Stealth roll vs. their Listen to approach from Submachine Gun 65%, 1d10+2 burst behind or the sides. Johan will surrender if obviously out- Throw (Grenade) 60%, 4d6 fought; Willie will fight to the death. Neither speaks any Skills: Climb 40%, Demolition 40%, Dodge 40%, Fast Talk 50%, English. Spot 40%, Stealth 60%.42

Dwelling of the Ancients

A POST-APOCALYPTIC ADVENTURE BY NICK MIDDLETON

ead to the players: You have been chosen by your village to search a dwelling of

R Ancients for healing supplies. You have travelled many miles through dangerous lands and now find yourselves at the edge of the dried lake bed, with the ancient structure towering over you on three great circular legs, each of which has an opening ~3m above the ground. NB all rooms have been abandoned for decades if not 3 7. Accommodation Deck a central spiral staircase longer. Signs remain in place to be deciphered using leads up to the observation deck. Knowledge (Ancient Lore) as GM chooses. 3 a b. Recreation facilities. 1. Ground Each of the three pillars has a doorway ~3m 4 a & b. Sleeping quarters for four people each. from the ground leading to spiral staircase going up but 5 a & b. Meeting / Briefing rooms. stairs a & b are blocked, only c allows access upwards. Climb or Agility rolls are required to reach the openings. 6. Galley. A mutated toxic mould has grown in the sink. A winged mutant snake lairs in stairs a. Mutant Snake Have Rovan make a Sense (Scent) to notice the musty (1): Dex 15, Move 10m , Hit Points 12, Armor 2, smell when the door is opened, or Savard a Knowledge (Nature Roll) once in the room. A success at either will Attacks: Bite 30%, 1d6 + Poison (victim rolls Stamina or warn them that there is something foul smelling in here. becomes sick: all skills at 1/2 until healed) or Spit Glue If they disturb the mould it will release a cloud of spores 30%, no damage but Effort roll for target to move for 1d3 (victim rolls Stamina or becomes sick: move halved and rounds, Skills: Listen 75%, Stealth 75%. all skills at 1/2 until healed) 2. Loading Deck Some 12m above the doors the stairs 7. Washroom including two showers and two baths. reach storerooms on the loading deck. Stairs a and c are 8. Observation Deck. Central stairs lead up to a single open blocked going to the floor above, but stairs b are clear. plan room with windows (several broken) on all sides, The main loading bay doors are rotten and will collapse and the roof has collapsed in the south east corner. A under any character who fails a Luck roll when crossing central square of desks still surrounds the stairwell guard them. Allow an Agility roll to avoid. The drop is ~15m rail. On one desk sits a still functional but inactive mili- (5d6 damage). tary grade portable radio communications pack. Buried in 43